Creativity of Zenica's Youth: Making and Selling Tote Bags

REaktiv is a non-governmental, non-partisan and non-political organization whose main goal is to gather young people. REaktiv was founded at the end of 2012, and they already have dozens of successful projects. The name originated from the very idea of the association, i.e., to activate inactive youth, reactivate those who have become inactive, and make the active even more active.

The latest project of REaktiv members is REcek. This project brings the association's members some modest pocket money while also raising environmental awareness among citizens.

- We thought of REcek at a seminar that my colleague Semir and I attended. One of the modules was writing a business plan, and the two best plans received financial support of 6,000 KM. We came up with the idea of making tote bags because plastic bags have been charged since 2013, and the tote bags are made of natural materials, which additionally protects the environment - says Merim Stupar, a member of the REaktiv board, for the Patria news agency.

The tote bags are entirely domestically produced; all necessary materials are sourced in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Members make them in their premises, which they received from the city of Zenica free of charge. The tote bags are made from linen and cotton, and seven young people from the association participate in their creation. After production, the tote bags are printed, followed by delivery.

- Volunteering for me represents a form of informal education. By volunteering at REaktiv, I have learned a lot, visited many cities, met people, and had the opportunity to change something, and that is what truly fulfills me. The feeling when you help someone, when you do something nice, cannot be described, and perhaps the biggest reason for my volunteering is that feeling - volunteer Amila Pašić told Patria.

The price of a tote bag with print is 6 KM, and without print 2.5 KM. In the first three months of work, they sold a large quantity of tote bags, and recently they have also been working in the Sarajevo area.